I’ve just arrived in Los Angeles for that Pauly Shore vibe after two weeks back home in Cape Town staying at the Cape Royale . It was a wonderful, yet chilly two weeks, following that month in the South of France , so it’s good to get back into summer.

It’s pretty much tradition for me to have breakfast at The Terrace Cafe on my first morning when I get to L.A.. And this trip was no different. The Advertising Guy, The Italian, The Ripper and I cruised down to Venice Beach for a three-egg omelette.

And what a day it was – 30 degrees and fine!

The Terrace
Venice Beach Pier

Very cool

The Advertising Guy
In technicolour

The Terrace Cafe (“Come as a stranger, leave as a friend!”) is a couple doors down from Mercedes Grill , where Kelly Slater celebrated his birthday a couple years back. Cameron was there, etc. You know the vibe..

So the three egg omelette and coffee cups the size of houseboats were good, as always; but the real treat was the permanent weekend fixture outside the restaurant, in the form of The Venice Beach Skateboard Guy.

The Venice Beach Skateboard Guy

He’s definitely not younger than 55 and is probably in his early 60’s. I’m not sure if he is stoned, smashed, slightly touched, or just plain crazy, but this guy is GREAT to watch as he cruises around in square circles on his skateboard and Evisu sawn-off jeans. His skating is appaling and he wears a helmet with old-school stickers on the back (think Powell Peralta, Santa Cruz and Bones). He’s basically amazing.

He sometimes skates past at about nought miles an hour with his hand in the air, pointing, claiming-it, and whooping and shouting “yeah!” as though he was gleaming the cube. Then he stops, takes a sip of his coffee and kicks the tail of his board so that the board flips into the sky and lands upside down in a very unimpressive display of nothingness.

It’s so awesome. Can you imagine having a guy like that at your house, in the backyard? Just doing that the whole time? Or a keyring, he’d make a great keyring.

[pauses] So anyway, I got a video clip for you, because I wish you were here with me to experience this shit.

WAIT RIGHT HERE for the box with the video to load up under this line..

Howz that smile on his face?

God, I love this place!

Land of the free, home of the amazing.

ps. did I tell you that everyone in LA is stoned? Everyone. All the time. It’s like a rule.